A New Years Surprise
by MarissaRosee
Summary: After the war, Hermione has a tough time coming to terms with everything that is happening. So she leaves. It's ten years later and she returns for a party at Harry's house. When she catches up with an old classmate, feelings will be exchanged. ONE SHOT.


**Alright, so this** **is a one shot i thought of randomly last night. Tell me what you think(:**

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><p>Hermione takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. Opening them, she lets out her breath slowly, attempting to calm her nerves. She stands in front of the two story house that lies in front of her, her heart beating a mile a minute. It had been a long time since she had last seen her friends; nearly ten years, and she was as nervous as she was when she took her first steps onto the Hogwarts Express. The night was dark and the stars were scattered across the sky. The full moon loomed over the back of the house with gray clouds surrounding it. The woods that stood in the backdrop of the house reminded Hermione of the Forbidden Forest, and she smiled slightly at the memory.<p>

"Momma, are we going to go in yet." Hermione's daughter, six year old Ally, asks. Hermione looks down at her daughter, tightening her hand in hers slightly. Bending down, she kisses the top of Ally's blonde hair and smiles.

"Yes sweetie." she says, taking in a deep breath. Walking up towards the front door, Hermione's heart begins to race again. She knocks twice on the door, and then steps back once or twice. Seconds later, the door opens up, and she stares face to face with the same familiar green eyes that she would know anywhere. "Harry," she breathes.

Letting go of her daughters hand, Hermione steps forward and hugs Harry around his neck. Harry smiles and hugs Hermione, his grip tight. When they let go of each other, he steps back and they survey one another. Harry looked older now. He was taller, he nearly towered over her by now, and his face looked older. His black hair was short and cropped and his green eyes sparkled. "Hermione, it's so good to see you." He says, and glances down as Ally grabs Hermione's hand once more. He smiles. "And who might this be." He asks, squatting down to her level.

As Harry magically pulls a red rose from behind Ally's ear, a silly trick her learned many years ago, she smiles and giggles. As Harry tucks the rose behind Ally's ear, Ally speaks. "My name's Ally." Harry smiles at her.

"I'm Harry, nice to meet you Ally." He says, shaking her hand. Once he returns to Hermione's level, Hermione lifts up her daughter, holding her on her right hip.

"This is my daughter." Hermione says breathlessly to Harry. Harry's eyes go wide, but then they return back to normal and he smiles.

"And who might the-"

Hermione cuts him off. "He's gone. She'll learn of him one day, just not today." Harry nods his head and smiles reassuringly. Glancing back inside, a hand places itself on Harry shoulder.

"Harry, who's at the-" Hermione smiles as Pansy walks next to Harry and he puts his arm around her. In the years since the final battle of Hogwarts, Pansy had grown out of looking like a pug, and was actually quite beautiful now. Her brown hair was no longer dull and lifeless, and her eyes were no longer hard and frightening.

"Hermione." She smiles, coming closer and hugging her old enemy. When she backs away, she sees the shock in Hermione's eyes.

"Sorry, I'm a hugging kind of person." she says. Hermione laughs, the sound ringing through the air. Harry told her long ago in the letters they had sent to each other that Pansy and him had gotten together a few years after the war was over. She had apologized for everything and Harry excepted. They've been together ever since. Harry had also told Hermione that tonight, at the New Years Eve party, he was going to propose.

"It's alright,I'm just...shocked is all." she says, then shivers as a chill runs down her spine. Harry's eyes go wide, and he smacks his palm to his forehead.

"Ugh, what kind of best friend am I leaving my dear old friend out in the cold, come inside, everyone's expecting you." Harry says, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her in. Laughing, Hermione and Ally follow. Inside, the smell of food, sweat, and candles fill the air. Music was blaring, people were dancing, and Hermione smiled at the sight. It had been a long time since Hermione was surrounded by all of her family and friends and she missed it, missed them.

Harry and Pansy are soon engulfed into the crowd and Hermione walks around with Ally's hand in hers, as they wander around. She speaks to many familiar faces like Neville and Luna, who had gotten together after the war as well, and others liked Seamus and Dean. When she finds her way into the kitchen, she finds the one person she knew she would find here, Ron. Smiling, she walks towards him. When his eyes rest on hers, his mouth drops open and quickly turns into a smile.

"Hermione!" he says, hugging her tightly around the waist and picking her off the ground. Laughing, she playfully smacks him on the shoulder and tells him to put her down.

"It's good to see you too Ron." she laughs. Once on the floor again, she feels Ally's hands tighten around her leg. Ron glances down, a shocked expression places itself on his face. Hermione smiles. "Ally this is Ron, Ron this is my daughter Ally." As Hermione explains herself just as she did with Harry, Ron slowly nods. They talk for a bit more, but then soon after, Ron is pulled away by a girl named Megan; that Hermione recalled was a Hufflepuff in Hogwarts.

As the hours fly by, Hermione migrates around the house, smiling and laughing and talking with all her old friends. She moves her way to the dance floor with Ally and the two dance together. Ally smiles and giggles with her mother as the two spin and twirl on the dance floor. About a half hour before the clocks would strike midnight, every house guest began to migrate towards the backyard. George had set up a firework display that would go off at midnight exactly, to start off the new year.

"Momma, can we go watch outside?" Ally's tired voice asks. Hermione picks up her daughter and carries her over to a couch facing the glass windows that would show a perfect view of the firework display.

"Sorry sweetie, it's too cold for you and plus, you're about ready to fall sleep." Hermione says kissing her daughter's blonde curls. As Hermione sits on the couch, Ally immediately places her head in her mother's lap, looking towards the night sky. A few moments pass and Hermione reflects back on how her life has changed in the past ten years. She doesn't even notice that someone has taken a seat beside her until they clear their throat.

"She's beautiful. Same eyes as her mother's." Hermione looks to her left and stares face to face with none other than her school year tormentor, Draco Malfoy. He looks different now. His white blonde hair is short on his head, and his usually steel gray eyes now have a sort of kindness to them. He's smiling, which looks good on him, it lights up his entire face. "She's also got that attitude that screams she's going to know it all, and she knows it too." He says with a laugh. The sound makes Hermione smile.

"Just like her mother." Hermione says, thinking back to her years at Hogwarts. "It's good to see you again Malfoy." She smiles.

Draco puts a mock hurt expression on his face. "Last name basis I see? I am hurt." He says, putting a hand to his heart. Hermione laugh, making Draco smile.

"It's good to see you too Hermione." He smiles. "What happened to you? It seemed after the war," he cringes, remembering how he acted back then. "You disappeared." he says. Hermione runs her hand through her daughter's curls, Ally already fast asleep in her lap.

"After the war ended, I couldn't just go back to living normal again. I," she sighs, feeling foolish. "I had nightmares, the scars," she says and her fingers involuntarily run themselves across the Mudblood scar she was given by Bellatrix all those years ago. "They haunted me. I was slowly going insane. I had to leave. So one morning, I packed up all of my things, took a plane and applied for the role of Charms Professor at the Salem Institute over in the States." Hermione says, Draco nods, not facing her but looking out the window as she was.

"Which explains the accent." He says with a hint of a smile on his lips.

"Which explains the accent." Hermione smiles.

"So you went to the States, how was it over there?" He asks. It was strange, Hermione thought, to be having a civil conversation with Draco. Draco, the boy who tormented her all throughout her years at Hogwarts. But he wasn't a boy anymore, he was very much a man.

"Good, but weird. They have a lot of strange expressions and it was all new to me. I didn't know where anything was or how to get anywhere." Hermione's brow furrows on her forehead. "But then I met someone, and he showed me my way around."

Draco looks at her now, his eyes staring into her. "Your daughter's father." It wasn't a question, however Hermione nodded her head just the same. She turns to look at him, the two stare at one another for a long moment.

"Mark, he was just perfect at first." Hermione sighs. "He was smart and handsome, kind and charming; everything I liked in a guy. He even had a ten year plan."

Draco inhales deeply and lets out the breath slowly. The murmur outside begins to quiet down, as everyone awaits the arrival of the new year. "But..."

She bites her bottom lip and leans her head back against the back of the couch. "But, then I found out I was pregnant, and that wasn't part of his ten year plan." A tear escapes Hermione's eye, and Draco wipes it away gently. "He cut off all contact with me, moved away to a different wizarding school. He told me he never wanted to know her, he never wanted to even know her name." Hermione's shoulders begin to shake, and Draco absentmindedly puts his arm around her in a comforting sense. "Things got better after Ally was born."

Draco kisses the top of her head. "How come you didn't come back? Here I mean." Draco asks, his hand rubbing Hermione's back, attempting to sooth her. She shrugs her shoulders.

"I guess that I felt I was coward for leaving and then coming back with a daughter at such a young age with no husband, I felt I was a disappointment." She says.

Draco nods. He had never told anyone, but he had grown fairly fond of Hermione over the years in Hogwarts. He bullied her, sure, but it was to hide away his feelings. If his father knew then, he shakes the thought away from him. His father was not in control of his life these days, he had to stop thinking of him. "Then why did you come back now?" His voice is soft, non accusing.

She smiles in spite of herself. "I missed everyone. And Harry said he was throwing this party together and I felt it was time. The memories had faded, the scars were faded, I was better. I am better." She smiles and glances up to look Draco in the eyes. "This is strange you know." she says looking at him.

He cocks his head to the side, a hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "What? Us talking?" He smiles.

Hermione smiles back. "Well if I do recall you did hate me when we were in school." She says, everyone outside huddles together, the cold finally getting to them.

"I never really did you know, it was just a cover up." The words slip out before he can make sense of them. A flush the color of Ron's hair runs up Draco's neck, turning his ears pink.

"A cover up?" Hermione could hear the smile in her voice. "A coverup for what?" she grins.

Draco looks down at Hermione and smiles in spite of himself. "I uh, used to like you." he says, a shy grin hinting at his mouth. Hermione smiles.

"Ah, did you now." She asks. Draco turns pink again.

"Yeah," he laughs nervously. "All the guys used to bet on how long it would take me to get a kiss from you, even though none of them really knew I truly liked you." he says, no longer looking at her, but looking out towards the sky. It was nearly midnight, and George was getting ready to set off the fireworks.

Hermione giggles and bites her bottom lip, a nervous flush creeping itself upon her cheeks. "What?" Draco asks.

"All the girls used to do the same with me. Even though none of them knew I had a crush on you." Draco grins wide, showing his teeth.

"Ah, so you used to like me?" He asks. Hermione bites her lips again.

"Guess so."

Draco grins, "guess neither of us ever got our kiss," he laughs. Hermione, who was no longer the scared little girl she once was when she was in school, thinks about what she was about to do. She was different now, and made bolder moves that she might not have ever done. Draco was looking down at her and she was looking back up towards him. Slowly, she puts her hand on the back of his neck and pulled his face down to hers. She places her lips against his. Hermione gasps a little and Draco rests one of his hands on the back of her neck, pulling her closer. He kisses her slow and gentle. When they both release each other from the kiss, Draco stares at her in amazement. Then he started laughing.

Hermione smiles shamelessly and cocks her head to the side. "What?"

Draco laughs again, rubbing his neck. "I think I owe Blaise a lot of money." Hermione laughs, snuggling closer to Draco as a chill runs through the house. Shaking her head, she watches as the clock strikes midnight and the fireworks fill the sky.

"Happy New Year Hermione." Draco says, kissing the top of her head. Hermione smiles and looks up towards the colors that explode against the darkness of the stark sky.

"Happy New Year Draco."


End file.
